"He is skilled in martial arts," Gu Qingheng spoke swiftly, clearly anxious because Yang Ruxin had not left as agreed, "his martial arts are considered top-notch in the jianghu. Naturally, he can protect himself, but he seldom ventures into the deep mountains..."
"Gu Qingheng, are you trying to financially support me?" Yang Ruxin suddenly burst into laughter, distancing herself from Gu Qingheng’s breath, her intelligence returning and her cheeks regaining their usual thickness. She teased the flustered Gu Qingheng, "Keeping me is very expensive..."
"I..."
"Gu Qingheng, I can only promise you that I won’t let anything happen to myself," Yang Ruxin suddenly didn’t want to let him respond anymore and hastily interrupted him. She knew that he was concerned about her, but she couldn’t avoid going into the mountains. Although he suggested she could deceive him with false compliance, in her heart, she didn’t want to lie to him.
Gu Qingheng could only sigh; he knew he couldn’t stop her. What he could do next was to get well as soon as possible and then accompany her into the mountains. He had to regain the ability to financially support her, no matter the cost, and ensure that she would never have to worry about food and clothing again.
"Actually, I am quite lucky." It was only then that Yang Ruxin realized she had been carrying her basket on her back since she entered, which explained why she felt so tired just now. However, thinking back to their intimate moment before, she blushed once again and quickly took the basket off, pulling out a wild rabbit, "This time on the mountain, I not only caught wild chickens and rabbits but also encountered a big black bear... This rabbit is for your meal... I’ll take it to the kitchen..." Saying this, she darted into the kitchen.
The corners of Gu Qingheng’s mouth curved even more. He truly wished he could see the girl’s blushing face for himself, but... He lifted his hand to touch his eyes and could only let out a sigh.
In the kitchen, a member of the Feng Family was cooking and smiled upon seeing Yang Ruxin enter, though her eyes betrayed a hint of something new.
"This is for you to add to your meal." Yang Ruxin put down the rabbit, her expression awkward as she pulled at the corner of her mouth, "Aunt Feng, actually about earlier..." She felt it necessary to explain, because Aunt Feng’s smile was too strange.
"I didn’t see anything just now," the Feng Family member quickly cut in.
Yang Ruxin’s mouth twitched, thinking, Aunt Feng, isn’t this like declaring there’s no silver buried here? But she didn’t want any misunderstanding, so she chuckled: "Aunt Feng, you really misunderstood. Qingheng is blind, and he didn’t believe me when I said I wasn’t hurt, so I let him touch to feel... As for... that was a coincidence..." She wasn’t sure if Aunt Feng had seen them kiss but felt it was necessary to clarify.
"Right, a coincidence," replied the Feng Family member, her smile growing even more peculiar, nodding repeatedly, "Just a coincidence."
Yang Ruxin couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly, thinking, Aunt Feng, you would have been better off not following my lead. This is making things worse... Forget it, the more I try to clarify, the muddier it gets. I should leave.
"Come over for a meal later with the family. I made plenty..." The Feng Family member thought Yang Ruxin’s silence was due to embarrassment and quickly changed the subject, "But we can’t eat this rabbit. Ayao isn’t here. I don’t know how to handle these things..."
"Thanks, Aunt Feng, no need. Maybe another time. I’ve got two wild chickens here too, I better get back and prepare them before they spoil... what a waste that would be..." Yang Ruxin swiftly turned and ran off.